Grab denies illegally charging riders an extra P2 per minute

Grab Philippines denied on Wednesday that it had been illegally charging riders an additional P2 per minute of travel time, noting that the Land Transportation and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) was aware of its pricing structure.

In a statement, the firm’s public affairs head and official spokesperson, Leo Gonzales, denied the allegation of PBA Rep. Jericho Nograles that the LTFRB was not aware of this additional charge.

“Department Order 2015-011 allowed TNCs [transportation network companies] to set its own fares with the oversight of the LTFRB,” Gonzales said. “In June 2017, Grab, upon review of its pricing structure, initiated per minute pricing of 2 pesos. This was integrated to the existing per km charges and is not added to the upfront fares.”

“The per-minute charges were implemented to ensure that despite serious congestion issues on the road on a daily basis, hard-working TNVS drivers would have a greater chance of making ends meet and supporting their needs,” Gonzales added. “During this time, we corresponded with the LTFRB to present these changes and was given the opportunity to present in full our business model, supply and demand models and pricing structure during one of the Technical Working Group meetings in late July 2017.”